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Monday, January 14, 2013

Free Pattern: Harry Potter Sorting Hat!

For a few years, my husband and I have been trying to get our oldest to start reading the Harry Potter series. I don't know if it was the size of the books, all the made up words, or the subject matter, but he just wasn't feeling it. He started Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone a couple of times but it never caught his interest.
A couple of months ago, that all changed. We gave him the first book again, and for some reason he was hooked. He read it quickly, followed by the second, and now he's almost done with the third. Yay! I love to get him interested in a series so it keeps him reading. (Moms you know what I mean, right?!)
So for Christmas he got all of the movies on DVD. We started watching them all in order and even our littler boys loved them.

Saturday morning my youngest little boy asked if he could paint a Santa hat brown. Odd request, sure, but I've heard stranger. He explained that it was going to be a Sorting Hat from Harry Potter. *Lightbulb* I suggested that instead of making a messy crusty mess, I'd crochet him one! Luckily it only took about an hour, maybe an hour and a half, and he had his own Sorting Hat!
Now you can make one! It goes pretty quickly. The first one I made with soft chenille yarn and an N hook. It worked great except it was a little floppy. I love the texture though, and the floppiness was easily remedied by lining the brim with brown felt. I stuffed the top of the hat too, and added a felt lining to the inside (because my son kept just yanking the stuffing out and it was driving me crazy!). Next I thought I'd experiment, so I made it again with double strands of standard worsted weight yarn (I used Vanna's Choice in Chocolate). It was definitely sturdier but not as stretchy I suppose. It didn't need to be lined or stuffed. You choose which way you want to do it!

Techniques:
Adjustable ring - Make a ring, insert hook into front of ring and pull up loop through to front of ring, chain one stitch, sc into ring as directed in pattern, pull tail gently to close ring

Note:
Numbers in () indicate number of stitches at the end of that round.
Pattern is worked in unjoined spirals.
Use a locking stitch marker to keep track of rounds. At the end of each round, move marker to loop on your hook.

Pattern:
Rnd 1: Starting at top of hat with N hook, make an adjustable ring, ch 1, sc 3 into ring. Pull closed (3 sts)
Rnd 2: Work 2 sc into each st (6 sts)
Rnds 3-5: Sc in each st.
Rnd 6: 2 Sc in next st, sc in each st around (7 sts)
Rnd 7: Sc in next 3 sts, 2 sc in next st, sc in next 3 sts (8 sts)
Rnd 8: *(2 Sc in next st, sc in next 3 sts), rep from * around (10 sts)
Rnd 9: *(Sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st, sc in next 2 sts), rep from * around (12 sts)
Rnd 10: *(Sc in next st, 2 sc in next st), rep from * around (18 sts)
Rnds 11-12: Sc in each st.
Rnd 13: *(2 Sc in next st, sc in next 8 sts), rep from * around (20 sts)
Rnd 14: Sc in each st.
Rnd 15: *(Sc in next 4 sts, 2 sc in next st, sc in next 5 sts), rep from * around (22 sts)
Rnd 16: Sc in each st.
Rnd 17: *(2 Sc in next st, sc in next 10 sts), rep from * around (24 sts)
Rnd 18: Sc in next 8 sts, 2 trc in next 4 sts, hdc in next 4 sts, 2 trc in next 4 sts, sc in next 4 sts (32 sts)
Rnd 19: Sc in next 8 sts, sc2tog 4 times, sc in next 4 sts, sc2tog 4 times, sc in next 4 sts (24 sts)
Rnd 20: *(Sc in next 3 sts, 2 sc in next st, sc in next 4 sts), rep from * around (27 sts)
Rnd 21: *(Sc in next 8 sts, 2 sc in next st), rep from * around (30 sts)
Rnd 22: Sc in each st.
Rnd 23: Sc in next 14 sts, 2 hdc in next 10 sts, sc in next 6 sts (40 sts)
Rnd 24: Sc in next 14 sts, hdc in next 20 sts, sc in next 6 sts (40 sts)
Rnd 25: Sc in next 14 sts, sc2tog 10 times, sc in next 6 sts (30 sts)
Rnd 26: *(Sc in next 9 sts, 2 sc in next st), rep from * around (33 sts)
Rnd 27: *(Sc in next 5 sts, 2 sc in next st, sc in next 5 sts), rep from * around (36 sts)
Rnd 28: *(2 Sc in next st, sc in next 11 sts), rep from * around (39 sts)
Rnd 29: *(Sc in next 12 sts, 2 sc in next st), rep from * around (42 sts)
Rnd 30: Sc in each st.

* To make a larger hat, continue increasing by 3 sts per round until the hat reaches the size you want. Continue on as instructed below, adjusting stitch counts for each row.

Rnd 31: Working in FLO of each st, *(2 sc in next st, sc in next 6 sts), rep from * around (48)
Rnd 32: Working in both loops of each st, *(Sc in next 3 sts, 2 sc in next st, sc in next 4 sts), rep from * around (54 sts)
Rnd 33: *(Sc in next 8 sts, 2 sc in next st), rep from * around (60 sts)
Rnd 34: *(2 sc in next st, sc in next 9 sts), rep from * around (66 sts)
Rnd 35: *(Sc in next 3 sts, 2 sc in next st, sc in next 7 sts), rep from * around (72 sts)
Rnd 36: *(Sc in next 10 sts, 2 sc in next st, sc in next st), rep from * around (78 sts)
Rnd 37: *(2 sc in next st, sc in next 12 sts), rep from * around (84 sts)
Fasten off and weave in ends.

Finishing:
Thread a yarn needle with a long strand of the brown yarn you are using. Knot the end. Push the mouth made in Rnds 23-25 to the inside. Weave the yarn from the bottom of the hat, up through the mouth, securing it to the inside. Stitch both sides of the mouth the same way so that it stays to the inside of the hat, then come up between the eyes created in Rnds 18-19, and back down towards the mouth, pulling tightly so that it makes the center of the eyes tilt downward slightly for the Sorting Hat's grumpy expression. Pull the yarn tightly and knot to the inside of the hat, and weave in end.

For a stiffer brim, overlap rounded strips of brown felt over the inside of the brim and pin into place. Trim edges to line up with the crocheted edge of the brim. Use brown thread to stitch the felt into place on the edge and inner edge of the brim.

If your hat is too floppy on top, insert polyester fiberfill. Cut a circle of felt to fit inside just underneath the eyes of the hat. Stitch into place with brown thread. Make sure not to put the felt circle too low or the hat won't fit onto a head.

Thanks so much for taking the time to share this pattern. I finished the hat this morning and it's awesome! Used an N hook and Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick. The hat took 1 1/2 balls of this yarn for a total of about 160 yards. This was a fun project that's going to delight my grandson! Thanks again.

This is amazing!! I finally got the chance to make this, and it turned out great with my N hook and chunky yarn. Thanks for sharing your pattern! I'm sure I'll have some friends that will want this as well. :)